My friend Ryan blogged a link to this video under the header POLITICS OF FEAR.
He and I (and many others) are so fed up with this kind of bullshit. It is just so hyperbolic and ethnocentric and just plain sad. The drums of war are still being beaten. And you know why? Because for so many, it is so damn compelling.
I heard Obama, Edwards, and Clinton speak against this ADMINISTRATION OF FEAR. Yip. I'm with 'em. I'm tired of it all too.
But as I began to think about how pessimistic I would be if another Republican (or Hillary) was in office, I began to ask myself questions about fear. Do I attempt to motivate people by fear? Do I talk about the "other" in language that isn't helpful? Even if the "other" is the person I used to be? What about my own life? Is my search for significance fear-driven? All this talk of vocation really just the same nasty thing the politicians are a part of?
I do hope that I am not purely acting out of fear, but I was reminded for a moment of how powerful fear can be. I was also reminded that if we are to ask our world to move beyond fear with regards to national and international issues, we must also ask ourselves to move beyond fear. And that might just be the rub.
1 comment:
i saw a comment on fark.com probably that said:
"when women back Hillary, it's 'solidarity'
when blacks back Barack, it's 'community'
when white males back someone either white or male, it's 'sexist chauvinism'"
when you said "especially hillary" it reminded me of that.
(and another argument where a guy said "i'd vote for a woman, just not hillary" and someone else said "oh yeah? what woman lives up to your standards, what woman would you vote for?" to which the guy replied "i'd vote for your mom. she was the #1 candidate on my poll last night")
Post a Comment